The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1887-06-17


twelve miles west of Salem on the west
ern division of the Oregon d California
rairlund. Oscar NJ. Kelty, son of j. ID.
Kelly, II wcll-tu-do aud highly respect
able iarmcr of Polk county, shot and
instantly killed his wife Clara, and then
attempted his own life, under the fol-
lowing circumstances:
In September, 1884, Oscar M. Kelly
married Clara tilandon at Amiiy. In
Polk county, she being n daughter of
t. :. Glandpn, and old aud highly ~
spectacle resident oi Polk county, who
formerly, with his family, was resi-
dent of Salem, where they are well
known The issue of the marriage was
two boys, one about - and the other q
months old. After their marriage the
couple moved TO Albany, where Kelly
had secured employment ns n clerk In
one of the stores in that place, lie
soon hcgan to drink TO excess and neg
leeted his wife and home TO such an cN
| tent that she concluded TO return to her
fathers home aud permanently separ-
ate herself from her husband. Kelly
afterwards frequently tried to persuade
| her to live with him again, but as he
| still continued i'm his drinking habits
and showed no evidence that he would
| treat her her otherwise than In the abu-
sivC which led her to leave him, she re-
I fused to leave her fathers house. lie
several times tried TO force her to return
Ia him, but lac was always unsuccss-
ftil.
ON Tuesday Kelly came down from
Albany aud went to the house of his
/ fathers, between Mccoy and Zcnn. lie
made no attempt to see his wife until
the evening of the tragedy, being en-
gagged meantime in buying wool for n
sun Francisco and Albany firm nj Dali
as aud other towns of Polk couny,
TnE AWFUL CRIME.
While at Perrylalc he found out
/ from Harry Glundon bruther-in-law,
that his wife WAS AT her fathers home.
and i'm theevening he called mt Glandons
about . O'clock, the family having ~
tired, and knocked loudly and asked 10
see Clara. She came To the door and
invited Kelly into the parlor. She wore
loose flowing gown, and bore here
babe In her arms
After her husband entered the follow
| ing conversation, uverh, ard 10y hired
who slept overhead, ensued:
"Will YOU live with me, Clara?'
She replied: No won't"
CRYING You won I, won't your Kelly
! whipped out "a revolver, and two pis-
/ tol shots i'm quick succession followed,
and heavy body fell TO the floor.
Mrs. Glandon was first to reach the
/ Nlbtts anu tlttt ritt AlAIt mt IttE
| eyes was one that was enough to freeze
her blood with horror. Lying upon the
! floor, weltcring in ber blood, with her
! child claspcd convulsiVciy To- her breast,
| lay Mrs. kelty, murdered by her hus-
band. Close by, ON his knees, was kel-
| ty, who had evidently directed the Sc
cond shot at himself. with one hando
( the iioor, as if trying IL rise, while the
( other giaspcd a l4-Calibre revolver,
I which he pointed at his mother-in-law,
/ bat lacking strength to fire the weapon
/ his arm dropped ncrvelcsS by his side.
Mrs. GlandOn fled. taking with her.
1 her lS-year-old daughter, who had
meantime arrived upon the scene.
When Kline, the hircd man. entered
| the room, Kelly had tled, and the muir
dered woman WAS Just expiring, with
| her arms around her babe, with her
hands clasped as i'm the act Of praying.
The ball had entered ON the LEFT side
Of the head, Just above the ear, barely
penetrating the brain and then ranging
directly downward and lodging in the
| LEFT, breast, just above the nipple. From
the direction which IL took il appeared
that she had dropped upon her knees,
as il i'm entreaty 10 her husband not to
murder her. Tie hair on the child's
head was burned by powder, aud the
bullet barely missed it. Its face also
bears powder marks.
THE SEARCH FOR kelly.
News of the murder spread rapidly,
and crowd gathered around the house,
and the search for Kelly began. He was
traced through the barn and dcw-wet
grass, and early in the morning was
found at ncighbor's Mr.. Alexander,
about mile aud quarter from the
scene of the murder, and within half
a mile of his fathers house. lie was
I Nx.1s haf s,1
ON bcholding his pursuers, he weekly
exclaimed: at will all be over i'm
few minutes, boys"
Ii was found that Kelly was badly
wounded, the bullet having entered the
left breast, near the nipple, and lodged
just under the shoulder blade. His
wound is n bad one, but he will proba-
bly, recover. A physician afterwards
probed for the bullet but could not To-
| cate it.
Kelly was weak and nerveless, and
when asked why he committed the
murder he could only respond: ~ do
/ not know He is - years of age, and
was born at present home of his father.
His deceased wife was - years old.
Effort has been made to find the pis-
! tol, but SO far the search has been fruit
I less. The murderer purchased his cart
ridges at perrydale, and i'm the morn
1 ing at Mccoy called upon Railroad
! Agent Graves and asked To be allowed
! to enter the depot where his trunk was.
From the trunk he took the pistol. load
I ed it, and fired one chamber from the
/ depot platform TO see if il was loaded
/ properly. This vas about O'clock.
! Then he went and committed the fear
Z full deed.
Coroner fitzpatrick was called and
( held an inquest, and the verdict of the
/ inTV WAS i'm accordance with the fore
/ going facts.
People sympathize entirely with the
woman, and nothing but Kelty's re-
| spectacle connection and hitherto good
reputation save his neck. \ guard has
4 been placed over him at his home, where
4 his wants are being attended TO.
/ For good meal, go 10 the City Res